Landscape shot's

When taking landscape shot's is it best to have your apature on the highest stop poss so more is in focus? also is the landscape setting worth using?

any other tip's would be great

Hopefully Phil and Dj will see this - they are our resident landscape pros

*mumbles something about hyperfocal distance and wanders off*

not sure, I remember DJ saying to me that f16 can be good (I think that's what I remember )

xx

Make sure you have a circular polarizer on your lens

The longer the lens that you use the narrower the perspective. I find a focal length of about 18 mm works for me the best but that requires me to get close to the subject. I keep my 18-55 mm on my camera at all times.

Don't forget the foreground interest. Remember the rule of thirds and compose the most interesting aspect of the scene off center. The best natural light of the day happens generally about the first and last two hours of the day.

Don't be afraid to shoot into the sun as some pretty dramatic shots can happen by carefully positioning the sun in a top left or right location. I also like a peek at the sun through tree limbs.

Overcast skies can create dramatic results so don't fail to be ready to try you luck during stormy skies.

For cloudy dull days, you should have at least one neutral density graduated filter i.e. Cokin 120 ND(1.7)

Brian

To have a stab at answering your question....

the aperture

I guess the obvious answer is it depends what you want from your picture. If you want to focus part of the scene rather than have the whole 'front to back' in focus then you don't really want the samllest aperture. If however (and it's usually the case) you want the whole scene in sharp focus from front to back then go for the smaller f/22 or f32 etc.

Remember though that the smallest aperture isn't always the 'optimum' aperture for a given lens. Different lenses produce their 'optimum' quality at different apertures. f16 may be the best for one lens so why use f32 if f16 gives enough depth of focus. If reducing the aperture so that you need slower speeds - use a tripod.

your camera's landscape setting

This will differ a bit from camera to camera but these are 'typical' reasons not to use the landscape setting. The camera will:

• Chooses it's own ISO
• Removes your choice of focus point
• Uses evaluative metering
• Uses Auto White Balance
• Uses a pre set 'landscape' colour / contrast / sharpness setting
• Defaults to Jpeg
• Disables flash

I would be inclined (unless you want to use full manual) to shoot in Aperture Priority mode. This way you can pick your aperture to suit the depth of focus and then unlike the above landscape setting you can:

• Stick your ISO to the lowest best quality.
• Choose the focus point (something in the foreground if using little aperture)
• Meter how you want - evaluative / partial / spot / center
• Decide on your own white balance
• Use whichever colour / contrast / sharpness setting you want (or your own)
• Shoot RAW
• Use flash for a bit of foreground impact.

To be honest - once you've used the aperture priority for a while you will use full manual no probs. Lets face it - you can always take your time.



PS

I'm not going to type all this again LOL but here's some good general tips swiped from a similar landscape thread......



Use a Tripod
As for all landscape shots it's best to use a tripod. You can't get away from this because there's no way you'll acquire really sharp images by holding that camera in your hands. Why? because the average landscape exposure time is around half a second or thereabouts due to the use of graduated and/or neutral density filters. And on top of this it's a good idea to use mirror lock and a remote release cable. If you don't have a remote release cable you can always select a timer delay from the camera's menu.

Try Using a Shutter Release
Another almost essential part of your landscape photography kit is a Shutter Release Cable. Try to use one of these so you don’t wobble your camera when taking a picture, or when timing is critical. If you can’t afford a cable, or just don’t want/need one, then try using the 10sec timer of your camera instead.

Use a Graduated Filter
As a landscape photographer you should use a graduated filter when there's a bright sky's present in the shot. This will allow for a balanced exposure in-camera and save you time messing about in Photoshop afterwards trying to retain sky detail. The downside of is an increased exposure time, hence the half a second reference previously, and why a tripod is essential if you want to acquire really sharp images.

Use a low ISO value
To keep sensor noise to a minimum use you lowest ISO, and certainly no more than ISO 100. If the light's low... slow things down and use that tripod !!!!!!!!!

Use Spot Metering
Spot metering works a treat with landscapes. What you do is spot meter off a bright part of the scene, check the histogram and adjust settings manually to get a better tonal range. If your camera doesn't have spot metering, use center-weighted metering, which works pretty well.

Maximize the Depth of Field
To acquire maximum depth of field use a small aperture (high f-number). This will increase exposure time, but you won't care about that because you're using a tripod anyway. You then autofocus one-third of the way into the frame then switch to manual focus. You do this to prevent the autofocus from hunting, especially because of the low light level entering the camera.

The time of day
The beauty of landscape photography is in its variety - even one viewpoint can provide infinite possibilities, depending on the weather, time of day, and season. As a general rule early moring and evening are the best times. Then, a wide variety of lighting conditions are available for one or two hours, giving warm colors and low-angled lighting that shows up textures and shadows.

Take your time
By studying the foreground detail available and any lead-in lines before you click away you'll get a more interesting composition and a better image. When you see what appears to be a good landscape to shoot, don't fire away until you've assessed the variation in the vicinity. Allow time to explore and place the tripod where you think you'll get a great shot. Then take time to move around, looking through your camera's viewfinder for that ideal position. Don't rush this bit. Seek that perfect site, and experiment with various focal lengths, heights and angles.

Foreground Interest
Try including an object in the foreground to add more appeal to your images. Sometimes we tend to focus too much on the main subject and forget about what’s in the foreground, but including an object like a rock or bush adds another point in the story of your photograph, and helps lead the viewers eyes through the frame. Foreground Interest also helps to achieve a more balanced composition by empathizing with the main subject

Lead in Lines
Coupled with Foreground Interest, Lead in Lines are great for capturing the way a viewer looks at your photograph. Try to compose your scene so that features like roads, railings, railway lines, streams, shorelines etc, run from or near your foreground interest towards your main focal point. This way it gives your image a sense of direction; the viewers eyes are directed where you want them, so the story of your scene can be conveyed more clearly.

The Rule of Thirds
Use the rule of thirds, so that your foreground interest and main subject fall on the intersections of the imaginary thirds lines. This helps achieve a balanced composition and makes your scene easier on the eye.

Stick to the Rules
Unless you’re supremely confident in your photography, then stick to the rules and guidelines. Breaking the rules can give some of the best results, but don’t just ignore them without knowing why you are doing so. Once you know the ropes and can understand why you would break a particular rule then the world is your oyster.

Enjoy !

not got as far as to even try to alter my white balance or contacts etc yet, just getting used to shooting in apature p.

But thanks for all the advice ill save it and have a try next time i get out somewere nice

OK then.

Stick to the basics.

Select aperture mode rather than landsacpe.

Select your own small aperture - say f22.

In this mode you can set and make the camera 'stick' to ISO 100 (which is best)

Focus on something nearer to you and let the camera the decide on the shutter speed for the correct exposure.

If the resulting speed is too slow to hold in your hand - use a tripod or some means of stopping movement if you've not got one - place it on a rock or against a tree etc........

"against a tree " -- How big a tree? LOL :}

Big enough to be stiff enough Bob